Intraspecific Genetic Variability of <i>Brassica cretica</i> Lam. (Brassicaceae) Using SSR Markers
Unraveling the evolutionary history of <i>Brassica</i> L. crops and their wild relatives remains a key challenge in plant evolutionary biology. <i>Brassica cretica</i> is considered the closest living relative of the cultivated <i>B. oleracea.</i> It is mainly dis...
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MDPI AG
2025-05-01
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| author | Efthalia Stathi Evangelia V. Avramidou Panayiotis Trigas Anastasios Katsileros Ioannis Karavidas Theodora Ntanasi Georgia Ntatsi Penelope J. Bebeli Eleni Tani |
| author_facet | Efthalia Stathi Evangelia V. Avramidou Panayiotis Trigas Anastasios Katsileros Ioannis Karavidas Theodora Ntanasi Georgia Ntatsi Penelope J. Bebeli Eleni Tani |
| author_sort | Efthalia Stathi |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Unraveling the evolutionary history of <i>Brassica</i> L. crops and their wild relatives remains a key challenge in plant evolutionary biology. <i>Brassica cretica</i> is considered the closest living relative of the cultivated <i>B. oleracea.</i> It is mainly distributed in the Aegean Islands and the neighboring mainland regions of Greece and Anatolia, and exhibits extensive phenotypic variability, obscuring its infraspecific classification. In this study, we analyzed five Greek populations of <i>B. cretica</i> and one <i>B. oleracea</i> botanical variety using SSR markers to assess genetic diversity and differentiation. High genetic diversity was detected within natural populations, with a mean of 21.9 alleles per locus and an expected heterozygosity of 0.647. Significant genetic differentiation (Fst = 0.812) revealed the presence of four distinct gene pools, partly supporting the current infraspecific classification of <i>B. cretica</i>. The cultivated plants cluster closely with <i>B. cretica</i> subsp. <i>cretica</i>, supporting the hypothesis of an Eastern Mediterranean origin. Our findings suggest that <i>B. cretica</i> subsp. <i>cretica</i> may have been introduced to suitable habitats or that cultivated plants may have reverted to a feral state in the Peloponnese, given the genetic similarity between populations from Crete and northern Peloponnese. The identified genetic diversity underscores the importance of <i>B. cretica</i> as a genetic resource for breeding programs and highlights the need for conservation, particularly for populations exhibited unique genetic traits. |
| format | Article |
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| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 2073-4395 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-05-01 |
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| series | Agronomy |
| spelling | doaj-art-def482ced82c40738655f694983f3ba22025-08-20T01:57:04ZengMDPI AGAgronomy2073-43952025-05-01155120110.3390/agronomy15051201Intraspecific Genetic Variability of <i>Brassica cretica</i> Lam. (Brassicaceae) Using SSR MarkersEfthalia Stathi0Evangelia V. Avramidou1Panayiotis Trigas2Anastasios Katsileros3Ioannis Karavidas4Theodora Ntanasi5Georgia Ntatsi6Penelope J. Bebeli7Eleni Tani8Laboratory of Plant Breeding and Biometry, Department of Crop Science, Agricultural University of Athens, Iera Odos 75, 11855 Athens, GreeceLaboratory of Forest Genetics and Biotechnology, Institute of Mediterranean Forest Ecosystems, Hellenic Agricultural Organization “ELGO-DIMITRA”, Terma Alkmanos, Ilisia, 11528 Athens, GreeceLaboratory of Systematic Botany, Department of Crop Science, School of Plant Sciences, Agricultural University of Athens, Iera Odos 75, 11855 Athens, GreeceLaboratory of Plant Breeding and Biometry, Department of Crop Science, Agricultural University of Athens, Iera Odos 75, 11855 Athens, GreeceLaboratory of Vegetable Production, Department of Crop Science, Agricultural University of Athens, Iera Odos 75, 11855 Athens, GreeceLaboratory of Vegetable Production, Department of Crop Science, Agricultural University of Athens, Iera Odos 75, 11855 Athens, GreeceLaboratory of Vegetable Production, Department of Crop Science, Agricultural University of Athens, Iera Odos 75, 11855 Athens, GreeceLaboratory of Plant Breeding and Biometry, Department of Crop Science, Agricultural University of Athens, Iera Odos 75, 11855 Athens, GreeceLaboratory of Plant Breeding and Biometry, Department of Crop Science, Agricultural University of Athens, Iera Odos 75, 11855 Athens, GreeceUnraveling the evolutionary history of <i>Brassica</i> L. crops and their wild relatives remains a key challenge in plant evolutionary biology. <i>Brassica cretica</i> is considered the closest living relative of the cultivated <i>B. oleracea.</i> It is mainly distributed in the Aegean Islands and the neighboring mainland regions of Greece and Anatolia, and exhibits extensive phenotypic variability, obscuring its infraspecific classification. In this study, we analyzed five Greek populations of <i>B. cretica</i> and one <i>B. oleracea</i> botanical variety using SSR markers to assess genetic diversity and differentiation. High genetic diversity was detected within natural populations, with a mean of 21.9 alleles per locus and an expected heterozygosity of 0.647. Significant genetic differentiation (Fst = 0.812) revealed the presence of four distinct gene pools, partly supporting the current infraspecific classification of <i>B. cretica</i>. The cultivated plants cluster closely with <i>B. cretica</i> subsp. <i>cretica</i>, supporting the hypothesis of an Eastern Mediterranean origin. Our findings suggest that <i>B. cretica</i> subsp. <i>cretica</i> may have been introduced to suitable habitats or that cultivated plants may have reverted to a feral state in the Peloponnese, given the genetic similarity between populations from Crete and northern Peloponnese. The identified genetic diversity underscores the importance of <i>B. cretica</i> as a genetic resource for breeding programs and highlights the need for conservation, particularly for populations exhibited unique genetic traits.https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4395/15/5/1201crop wild relativesgenetic fingerprintingmicrosatellitestaxonomy |
| spellingShingle | Efthalia Stathi Evangelia V. Avramidou Panayiotis Trigas Anastasios Katsileros Ioannis Karavidas Theodora Ntanasi Georgia Ntatsi Penelope J. Bebeli Eleni Tani Intraspecific Genetic Variability of <i>Brassica cretica</i> Lam. (Brassicaceae) Using SSR Markers Agronomy crop wild relatives genetic fingerprinting microsatellites taxonomy |
| title | Intraspecific Genetic Variability of <i>Brassica cretica</i> Lam. (Brassicaceae) Using SSR Markers |
| title_full | Intraspecific Genetic Variability of <i>Brassica cretica</i> Lam. (Brassicaceae) Using SSR Markers |
| title_fullStr | Intraspecific Genetic Variability of <i>Brassica cretica</i> Lam. (Brassicaceae) Using SSR Markers |
| title_full_unstemmed | Intraspecific Genetic Variability of <i>Brassica cretica</i> Lam. (Brassicaceae) Using SSR Markers |
| title_short | Intraspecific Genetic Variability of <i>Brassica cretica</i> Lam. (Brassicaceae) Using SSR Markers |
| title_sort | intraspecific genetic variability of i brassica cretica i lam brassicaceae using ssr markers |
| topic | crop wild relatives genetic fingerprinting microsatellites taxonomy |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4395/15/5/1201 |
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